Play & Learn

Play with Your Old Toys

Now that the holiday commercials have started in earnest, I'm getting an eyeful of all the latest must-have toys. I don't want to sound like an old lady, but I can't help looking at all that stuff and wondering why everything has to be so fancy and complicated. Whatever happened to a pack of regular old markers or a set of blocks? How come all the dolls have eighteen buttons to operate lights and sound? Why are the games either impossibly complex or mind-numbingly stupid? Say it with me: They just don't make 'em like they used to.

Perhaps one of the reasons I'm so attached to toys from my era is because I still get to play with them every once in a while. (Another reason is because THEY'RE AWESOME.) When we go on vacation to visit my sons' grandparents, they always indulge us by digging back into their storage spaces and hauling out my and my husband's old things. At my parents' house, we play with my old dollhouses, my bother's matchbook cars, and the giant bag of puppets handsewn by my mom twenty-five years ago. My dad even gets out his old toys: metal Tonka trucks from the late 50s that he wouldn't let us touch when I was kid. At my mother-in-law's, it's all Star Wars figurines and army trucks and space shuttles.

New toys are all fine and good, but when the old stuff comes out, all of us--kids as much as adults--seem to have a better time with these objects that already hold so much history. It's great that some of the major brands are coming out with new version of vintage (i.e., from the eighties) toys, but you really can't buy the feeling of a beloved old doll's hair against your cheek or the pleasure of knowing at exactly what angle you need to bend Luke Skywalker's legs to get him into the cockpit of his X-wing fighter. Holding these things in our hands again can make us feel like kids ourselves, and that makes us better playmates for our own children.

If you (or your parents) still have some of your old toys, don't miss this chance to share a bit of your own childhood with your kids. Talk about what you loved about the toys, and how you loved to play with them. Watch your children learn to love them anew. Forge a connection between the generations. Have fun the way you used to. Feel like a kid again.

Do you still have some of your old toys? Do you let your kids play with them?

bahabaahhh DD and I was thinking back in the day the other day , as I told her be thankful for what you have , I had to use a commodore black and white computer, Artair game system , the clapping monkey with symbols .... hahaha what a laugh she had

Slideshows

Encourage creativity anywhere!

1Encourage creativity anywhere

You don't need a burst of Beethoven on a baby grand piano or a constant supply of fingerpaint to do it. Encouraging creativity can happen anywhere and with
anything…or nothing at all. Really. No, really. We figured out cool ways to fill up that mental creativity cup in almost every place moms go
with kids. Don't say we never gave you anything.

2While stuck in traffic.

You are sitting there. Maybe it's the line for the drive-thru or the school pick-up line. Get your purse and grab a dollar bill (a five or a 10). Have the
kids think up other ways to design it or have them count how many things they can find that start with L or S or F.

3Waiting at the doctor's office.

It is a perfect place to play "What If?" What if our arms were where our legs are…how would we dress? What if we had teeth like beavers…could
we still eat ice cream cones? See where their minds go you toss out fun ideas - and remember, there is no wrong answer. The only wrong thing to do is not
answer.

4Waiting for a movie to begin.

When waiting for the latest Pixar blockbuster to start, a few extra straws from the concession stand is all you need to have some creative fun. See what
you and the kids can make -- bend them, put them together, what will they dream up? Don't forget about the wrappers…they could make a good rope
bridge.

5While you are cleaning the house.

It is a tad cliché, but don't throw out those empty boxes. As you are vacuuming, let them play with them - yup, it gets them thinking outside-the-box.
The large one is great as a ship (the rocket or sea-faring type), while the cover from a shoe box, when attached to some yarn and a bit of tape, could be a
sled her stuffed kitties can use in the Meow-diterad.

6As you fold laundry.

Yes, one of the most boring chores to do can actually goose those creative muscles. Have your kids sit with you and compare the texture inside Dad's gym
sock to the outside of it…and what other things feel like that? Which shirt feels most like Hammy, the class hamster? Do the same with colors of the
clothes or buttons. All of these comparisons of texture and hues build creative skill…and if they fold a few, all the better.

7While waiting for food at a restaurant.

Many places dole out crayons and some paper for kids to color, but bump that up a notch as you all munch on tasties from the bread basket. Use that paper
to create original origami animals or structures with some folds (dig out an old receipt or two from your purse if you need more paper).

8In the bathtub.

At the end of a long day, you may be tapped out, but there's some simple creative ideas hidden among those bubbles. People sing in the shower for a reason
- it sounds so much better in that little room. Have the kids make up a song about the soap or a (literally) dirty pirate. Let them bang a beat on the
water and use the shampoo bottle as a microphone. A perfectly awesome and creative way to end the day.

More Slideshows

Quiz

We are drawn to certain things as we go through life - the ocean, the smell of Christmas trees, pugs. Things that we feel connected to, in some unconscious
way. Same goes for crafts. We all have a bit of a craft "alter ego," the craft we would be, perhaps, if we lived in a world of crafts. What is yours? Find
out with this fun quiz.